Digital Trends
Apple ’s latestMac miniis one powerful flyspeck personal computer . First secrete not too long after the originalMac Studio , it comes with the M2 scrap and make an interesting alternative to its more expensive sib , which has also receive an update .
While they look alike , these two computers are not the same — they differ greatly in carrying out and price .
Digital Trends
In a way , you could look at the Mac Studio like a supercharged version of the Mac mini — it ’s self-aggrandising and substantially , but it ’s alsousuallymuch high-priced . As indicate out in the spectacles and shape section below , you could bribe a Mac Studio M2 Max 12/30 version with 32 GB of RAM and spend the same as you would for a Mac mini M2 12/19 with 32 GB of RAM . That ’s crazy .
The decision is easy at the Mac mini miserable end , which is significantly more affordable than the Mac Studio . If you ’re primarily a productivity user and media consumer with only lightweight creativeness workflows , then the Mac mini M2 model will suffice . And if you ’re the most demanding originative master who wants the fast potential screen background with the most memory , then the much more expensive Mac Studio M2 Ultra is for you .
Suppose you ’re veracious in the eye , though , with reasonably demanding creativity study . In that event , the Mac Studio M2 Max offer more index and connectivity than the Mac mini M2 Pro for the same money .
Specs and configurations
The Mac mini starts at an affordable $ 599 with an 8 - core CPU/10 - core GPU M2 chipset , 8 GB of RAM , and a 256 GB SSD . in full kick upstairs , the Mac miniskirt is much more expensive , $ 4,399 for a 12 - core CPU/19 - gist GPU M2 Pro , 32 GB of RAM , and an 8 TB SSD .
The Mac Studio is significantly more expensive , with an entry - stratum price of $ 1,999 for a 12 - heart and soul CPU/30 - core GPU M2 Max , 32 GB of RAM , and a 512 GB SSD . At the high end , the Mac Studio is a whopping $ 8,799 for a 24 - core CPU/76 - kernel GPU M2 Ultra , 192 GB of RAM , and an 8 TB SSD .
There ’s an interesting catch , though . The Mac mini with a 12 - core CPU/19 - core GPU M2 Pro is exactly as expensive as a Mac Studio with a debauched 12 - marrow CPU/30 - Congress of Racial Equality GPU M2 Max when configure with 32 GB of RAM and the same amount of store . In fact , when you kick upstairs to 10 GB Ethernet ( which the Mac Studio already has ) , the Mac mini is actually $ 100 more expensive . Unless you need an even more potent auto with more than 32 GB of RAM , the Mac Studio is a no - brainer by comparison .
Design
When view from above , the Mac mini and the Mac Studio look nearly very — like a silver foursquare with rounded bound and Apple ’s logo etched on top . However , if you put them next to each other , you ’ll immediately see that the Mac Studio is much grandiloquent — over twice as grandiloquent , in fact . Both are manufactured from CNC - machine aluminum , and both are extremely well - construct . You wo n’t be resolve between these two in terms of their minimalist yet elegant aesthetic and solid builds .
The box — it ’s hard to consult to these PCs as anything else — have no feet or handgrip . The Mac miniskirt is slender enough to fit inside a haversack , and the Mac Studio is as well , but it will likely take up most of the space . There ’s also quite a spot of a difference of opinion in system of weights between the two .
Ports
Apple tends to have an on - and - off relationship with invest an tolerable figure of ports on its products . Some gimmick have lot , while others have barely any at all . Being aimed at professionals and creatives , the Mac Studio offers a dear amount of connectivity options . The Mac mini loses this fussy engagement .
On the back , the Mac Studio comes with a whopping four USB - C with Thunderbolt 4 ports , two USB - A ports , an HDMI connection , a 3.5 millimeter earpiece manual laborer , and 10Gb Ethernet in the back of the twist . On the front , the M2 Max version has two extra USB - C ports , and the M2 Ultra exemplar has two Thunderbolt 4 port . There ’s also an SD card reader .
The Mac miniskirt utilise the same new generation of ports but has few of them than its rival . The home M2 variant come with two USB - A port , two Thunderbolt 4 ports , an Ethernet jack , a earpiece jack , and an HDMI port . The more expensive M2 Pro model bumps up the number of Thunderbolt 4 ports to four .
Display musical accompaniment is another decimal point of differentiation . The Mac mini M2 model supports just two displays , and the M2 Pro model supports three . These are a commixture of unlike resolutions and refresh rate , so check the specs cautiously before choosing a conformation . The Mac Studio , on the other bridge player , supports five displays with the M2 Max variant and eight displays with the M2 Ultra . Again , there are several dissimilar settlement and refresh pace combinations with each , and careful consideration of your needs is warranted .
However , if you need more than three displays , then only the Mac Studio will meet your needs .
Performance
The Mac mini and the Mac Studio have a few things in common , but perhaps the most of import partake trait is that these computers were made for professional person . Be it artists , subject matter Creator , or video editors , most owners of Apple ’s mini PCs tend to use them for various creative workflows . As such , their carrying out is what weigh the most .
In two CPU - intensive benchmarks , the Mac mini with the M2 Pro does well against the late generation MacBook Pro with the M2 Max . It ’s militant with the Mac Studio in single - core tests , while the M2 Ultra ’s additional cores give it almost twice the carrying out in multi - core applications .
The Mac mini would again do well against all but the Mac Studio in graphics applications . If you run applications that can utilize the GPU , such as Adobe ’s Creative Suite , the Mac Studio will be dramatically fast . add together in significantly faster memory , and the Mac Studio is the vastly superior desktop for sheer performance .
